Hepatitis B is an infectious disease caused by the virus of hepatitis B, a DNA virus whose natural host is human body. It is a known fact that this particular virus is very resistant to the conditions outside its host, which means this little living virus can survive outside its natural environment for a long time. They actually discovered it on the contaminated medical equipment, many months after the contamination, and this could be the transmission way, or at least one of them.



Hepatitis B virus is at least one hundred times less infectious than HIV and it presents itself with more viral particles in the infected blood. As opposed to the HIV, this virus can be transmitted through saliva also. This is a verified aspect of the matter; it has already been proven.

The hepatitis B is transmitted much faster than the HIV infection through sexual unprotected contact. It also has another very interesting as well as dangerous feature from this point of view. It can be transmitted through intimate family contact, especially when the living conditions are "crowded". Aside from that, it can also be transmitted when in contact with biological liquids: blood, seminal liquid, vaginal secretions, and saliva.

There are four transmission mechanisms of this nasty infection. First, one is called vertical, when the mother passes the virus to the newborn. The second one is called horizontal and it happens between children, teenagers and young people or even adults. This usually happens through saliva or contaminated blood, which goes into the organism through superficial wounds and scratches. Parents, grandparents, older brothers, which are infected, they are all a potential horizontal source of infection.

Sexual transmission is made by normal or homosexual activity between a healthy and an infected individual. Parental transmission of the virus of the Hepatitis B is performed through blood as well as through contaminated blood products, which enter the organism of a healthy host through syringe needles, blood transfusions, hem dialysis, or even intravenous administered drugs.

All over the world, being in contact with contaminated hepatitis B blood exposes the doctors as well as the rest of the staff who work in hospitals and have direct contact with it. As much as exposed are the police, the paramedics, fire fighters, and military workers. They are exposed because of the nature of their work.

We must also keep in mind that there are over three million carriers of the Hepatitis B virus all over the world. We must always take good care of the things,objects and people we encounter, even if we do not work in the fields such as the ones described above. Infected objects, such as needles could be very dangerous and they could be the ones transmitting the hepatitis B virus to a healthy body. In addition, we must educate children in this matter, so that they realize the risks of this disease.

Educating especially teenagers, which usually do not acknowledge and almost never comply, and not only them, but also all kinds of humans from all the fields of activity, will reduce the transmission of this disease all over the world.